With the recent release of Miss You Already, which follows two inseparable friends, Milly (Toni Collette) and Jess (Drew Barrymore), as they attempt to deal with the former’s struggle with a recent breast cancer diagnosis, our editor Sofiane takes a look back at the rush of cancer films to hit the big screen in the last few years.
Not all cancer films are straightforward tearjerkers; some apply humour to their storylines, some convey the reality of diagnosis and treatment, and others have moving performances.
Here are a few that seem to get it just right when dealing with the ‘big C’.
The Fault in Our Stars (2014)
Based on John Green’s 2012 bestselling novel, the film’s story focuses on two teenagers who meet and fall for each other at a cancer support group. Hazel Grace Lancaster (Shailene Woodley) is your average 16 year-old girl but with one major difference: she has cancer, terminal thyroid cancer to be exact, which has spread to her lungs. Her condition has resulted in her best friend being an oxygen concentrator she affectionately names Philip, which she must carry with her wherever she goes.
Her mother (Laura Dern), believing her daughter is depressed, sends her to a cancer support group where she meets Augustus ‘Gus’ Waters (Ansel Elgort). Gus is a young, charismatic boy and a survivor of bone cancer after having his leg amputated. The two slowly form a friendship and this eventually turns into something much greater than they could have ever expected.
It’s not rare for me to find a film that strikes an emotional chord within me. Sometimes, if I’m invested in a character, I may even get a little teary-eyed. However, what is rare is finding myself sobbing like a hyperventilating child long after the credits have rolled. I warn you now: this film will make you cry. And this won’t be the silent weeping type. It will be the unattractive, loud crying that has everyone around you staring – unless they’re crying of course, which they will be.
The Fault in Our Stars is a unique film as it works to humanise the effects of cancer with those suffering from the disease in order to convey how they refuse to be consumed by their health problems. The film proudly shares a subject matter most of the public would leave for private discussions due to the social stigma surrounding cancer. Those that suffer with cancer, particularly the younger generations, can often feel isolated and ashamed. Perhaps this film may encourage more teenagers experiencing similar issues as the characters to embrace their differences.
50/50 (2011)
Written by American screenwriter Will Reiser (who based the story on his own experience with cancer), 50/50 is a film that is not afraid to laugh in the face of cancer. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Adam Lerner, a radio journalist who finds out the back pain he’s been experiencing turns out to be a malignant tumour in his spine that is life-threatening.
It can be extremely difficult, and often tricky, for a writer or director to inject comedy into a subject matter that is, for those affected by cancer in particular, not a humorous experience in the slightest. Importantly though, the film never laughs at having cancer itself. Instead, the comedic moments lie in those scenes that centre around Adam’s diagnosis and treatment, and with his best friend, Kyle (Seth Rogen).
The film manages to portray heart-warming moments realistically, and combines this with a peppering of hilarious scenes. It is clear that the makers of the film struggled with this balancing act, given the amount of scenes that attempt to, abruptly, lighten the mood. However, audiences looking for a reflective and alternative take on cancer, with authentic characters and a thought-provoking storyline, will certainly enjoy
this film.
My Sister's Keeper (2009)
Adapted from the heart-wrenching, 2004 bestseller by Jodi Picoult, My Sister’s Keeper stars Abigail Breslin as Anna Fitzgerald, a young girl who discovers she was brought into the world as a saviour sibling to help protect her older sister Kate (Sofia Vassilieva) who has leukaemia. A saviour sibling is a child born to provide an organ or cell transplant to a sibling affected by a fatal disease.
As a result of this revelation, Anna sues her parents for the right to her own body. In a surprise twist of events, the audience finds out that Kate has instigated Anna’s campaign for medical emancipation as she no longer wishes to live with her debilitating illness.
Although the novel (and now the film) has been accused of being produced solely to see humans wail in misery, the story does touch on important issues such as
self-identity, the controversy surrounding donor siblings, and the physical and emotional hardships of living, and caring for someone, with a terminal illness. Kate, living with leukaemia, has never felt she has had complete control over what treatment she received, which is something those suffering from cancer or a terminal illness can experience. By allowing Anna to live a normal life, and not to exist purely as a donor, the sisters regain control over what happens to their bodies.
Thoughts
Hollywood’s creation of a dialogue between filmmakers and audiences on cancer is an important step for how society perceives the disease. By discussing the issues people affected by cancer face more openly, whether those challenges are physical, emotional, or financial, it is hoped that these topics of conversation will become common practice. Instead of reducing a cancer patient to a victim, or someone incapable of making decisions, these films not only emphasise the benefits of taking an active role in treatment plans but they also portray the effects of cancer in a more honest way.
With three films already released this year that focus on cancer stories (Freeheld,
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Miss You Already), this dialogue looks set to continue.
To see what else Macmillan's cancer information team has been blogging about, please visit our blog home page! You can subscribe to receive our blogs by email or RSS too.
We're with you every step of the way
The Macmillan team is here to help. Our cancer support specialists can answer your questions, offer support, or simply listen if you need a chat. Call us free on 0808 808 00 00.
Comments? Feel free to add them below (you need to be logged in).
Keep in touch Follow Macmillan’s cancer information team on Twitter @mac_cancerinfo
